


take me somewhere

by newrromantics



Category: Gossip Girl
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-24
Updated: 2014-10-24
Packaged: 2018-02-19 11:32:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,803
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2386802
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/newrromantics/pseuds/newrromantics
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>POST SEASON FIVE / Carter finds her in Rome, and the rest is history.</p>
            </blockquote>





	take me somewhere

Serena sits at a bar in Rome, nursing a drink and thinks about how her life ended up so badly; how she managed to fuck things up beyond repair. 

Everything in her life is a mess at the moment, screwed up; her relationships with her closest friends now burning in hell, relationships she holds with anyone now a frail mess. Instead of fixing it, she just ran, again. Like a lost child, sixteen years old, fucked her best friends boyfriend and is now running from her mistakes, again. 

History repeats itself. Serena bitterly drowns the drink,  _it happened in the exact same place, too._ Groaning, she orders another drink, maybe if she had enough alcohol coursing through her veins she could forget about this whole mess. But, past experience has told her that it doesn't work. 

Standing up, she wobbles in her stilettos for a second. Throwing the bartender a smile, she exits the bar; letting a bout of cold air hit her as she stands outside. She's not entirely sure where her hotel is. Frowning, she pulls her phone out of her bag and logs into the wifi at the bar, quickly she types in the name of her hotel and brings up a map to follow. 

_You're a mess, Serena;_ it's Blair's voice telling her this, and she lets herself drown in guilt. 

 

 

 

If drinking doesn't make her forget, shopping might. 

With bags thrown over her shoulders, she grins, feeling more sober than she has in years despite the wine she had drunk last night.

 

 

 

Summer Ends, and New York awaits her, beacons her but Serena thinks she likes Rome. 

So on an impulse she buys an apartment, there. It's a small, scrawny little place and Serena fills it with knick knacks she finds in markets and op shops and paints the walls different shades of yellows. She finds a couch at a market, it's bright blue with metal framework painted gold. Serena covers it with cushions she finds, some are floral, and some have fruits on them, and some are falling apart at the seams, some are boring block colours and others have cute little sayings on them. 

Vases start to fill the house, with wilting flowers in them. She buys figurines and big paintings that she hangs up in the most unusual spaces, she thinks about how much her mother would hate her for it and grins so wide she fears her lips might break. 

Her bed is King sized, and she buys expensive sheets for it in rich purples. 

It becomes her home. 

 

 

 

Holding shopping bags in one hand and an ice cream in the other, she tries not to fall over. 

Lips licking out the ice cream dripping down the cone. 

 

 

 

Lily manages to track her down. By credit cards, Serena assumes. 

Lily drones on about what how she needs to come home  _now_ , and how everyone is looking for her, how worried everyone has been and Serena you can't do this anymore — 

Serena doesn't bother reading the rest of the letter, she scrunches it up in her hands and throws it in the bin; if Lily couldn't be fucked flying to Rome to get Serena, then how bad does she want her back anyway? 

It's the last she hears from her mother. 

 

 

 

It's pouring down with rain,  _pouring down._

She holds a flimsy umbrella up over herself, trying to keep dry as she crosses the road. Her trench coat and long black leather boots look the part of Winter but they're not exactly keeping her warm. Scrunching up her nose, she races across the street. She hates this weather, hates the cold, hates the rain. She's not looking where she's going, running across the street, down the pavement, her home is so near — 

_whoosh!_ Serena bumps straight into somebody, 

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry!" Serena exclaims, apologises pouring from her mouth as she takes a step back, her umbrella held steady above her head. 

"It's okay, beautiful. Although you might want to watch out in the future," Carter grins. Serena takes a step back, watching the man straighten himself up. It's the same eyes she found herself unable to look away from when she was fifteen, when she was nineteen. The same wicked grin that always got her into trouble, with herself, with her school, or with the law. It's the same smooth, charming voice that always managed to whisk her off of her feet if she admitted it to him or not. 

"Carter Baizen, tell me what  _have_ you been up to?" Serena asks, a hand coming to rest on her hip as she cocks her head to the side. She hadn't seen him since she kicked him out of her limo, hadn't even heard anything about his comings and goings. Carter's grin, his smirk, doesn't wipe from his face the entire time he's talking to her.

"Tell you over dinner?" He suggests as he steps forward, towards her. He bends down ever so slightly to let his lips graze across her cheek. 

It would be so easy to say yes. It would be so easy to catch up with him. To fall back into old habits,  _(die hard)._ But for the past six months she's tried so hard not to fall back into old patterns — drinking, drugs, running away. 

About to say no as her answer, it's on the very edge of her tongue, but, "What's your number?" are the words that come out instead. She passes him her new phone quickly, he shields it underneath an arm as he types in his number; the only contact from her old life. 

"See you around," He calls out over his shoulder, as he's half way down the street, the same grin plastered across his face. Serena waves to him as he walks, her feet still against the concrete ground. 

Imagine that, running into Carter Baizen in Rome. Of all people, of all places. 

 

 

 

An elderly Italian couple lives next door to Serena. 

They always argue, harsh Italian words being shouted at in the wee early hours of the morning as light streams in through Serena's curtains and into her bedroom. They've been together eighteen years, both were married to their first loves previously, and then they found each other. 

Serena thinks they're oddly sweet, and they're always inviting her around for wine and cheese. Her other neighbours aren't nearly as nice, a forty year old divorcee who used to sweet talk her when she first moved in until he realised she wasn't interested, a busy mother with three young children who was sweet but often snappy, a teenage father who had lost his girlfriend in a boating accident the previous year and was left to look after a one year old daughter who ignores her whenever she tries to strike up a conversation. Her previous favourites were Marie, a young woman only a few years older than herself; they got together often for a coffee and used to wander aimlessly through the markets where they picked up knick knacks. 

Marie moved to New York, the irony. 

 

 

 

Carter is waiting for her outside of the restaurant, wearing jeans and a plain black button down shirt. 

"I feel overdressed," Serena laughs as she greets him. Leaning in to give him a light peck on his cheek, his stubble grazing her skin uncomfortably. Carter lets out a light throaty chuckle, his fingers playing with the loose waves of her hair. 

"Well, you look beautiful," He whispers in her ear. Serena won't admit to the light blush that creeps across her cheeks or the way her skin runs cold as he touches her. 

"Shall we?" Carter asks, in an over the top voice, looping his arm with hers as he leads her inside. 

Serena feels giddy as she walks inside, the prospect of  _something_ boiling in her stomach as she slides into her seat. As she orders her meal, as Carter updates her on his adventures, as she shares some of her own; it's like no time has passed. Fifteen, nineteen; doesn't she love him? 

 

 

 

Serena laughs, brilliant and shining and warm; 

It's been six months since she last tasted alcohol fizzle on her tongue; but, she still knows the dizzying effects it has. 

Why does she even need alcohol when standing in front of Carter gives her the same effects?

She might never see him again, he mentioned jetting off to Paris soon. He loosens their fingers as they stand outside her apartment, he's saying goodbye and she's preparing to turn her body away from him and head up inside —

Serena turns around, though. Turns around and walks up towards him, three quick strides, three quick strides and she grabs his face with one hand and presses her lips against his. 

"Wanna come inside?" Serena breaths, the words barely a whisper; barely words at all. 

 

 

For a week they don't venture outside of her tiny apartment with all of it's little knick knacks, cushions, odd art and crazy colours. 

 

 

 

Then Serena wakes up to a note next to her bed:  _Business calls._

(If you ask, she'll never tell you she cried). 

 

 

 

Months pass before she sees him again, and she gets a job working with children. Teaching them how to paint and dance and looking after them while their parents are busy at work; she takes them to the park, watches them as they slide down slides and go high up in the air on swings. 

She remembers her own childhood as she watches them. Nannies who would take them to the park. Nate playing in the sandpit with her, making tall castles. Blair on the swings, kicking her legs up high, high, higher, higher, highest. Running around and around and around, falling on the ground in a dizzy daze, her dress with grass stains; a mothers high shriek, a best friends disapproving look, a boys laugh. 

Serena chases them around the park, giggling as they screech, blonde hair flying behind her. All the children love her, she can hear Blair's voice in the back of her mind,  _of course, they do_ , taunting and mean even though she doesn't mean to be. Frowning, she reads to them, a story about a princess. Passes them back to thankful parents who work too many hours, not neglectful parents who would rather drink in the day than take care of their children. Serena grins, thanking them instead. 

She's good at this, she likes this; taking care of children, spending time with them, teaching them. 

 

 

 

Carter returns on a Wednesday, in the afternoon, once the children have been sent back to their parents.

She's painting in the middle of her living room, remembering Paris and Blair and all the fun times she had then; sometimes she finds herself missing Blair, but then she reminds herself that she'll never speak to her again, the brunette probably wouldn't allow it. 

"Hi, beautiful. Miss me?" Grinning, she tells him to stop calling her that,

"But why?" He murmurs against her ear, hands gripping her hips. 

"Because you call  _all_ girls that," Serena retorts, a shy smile on her lips as she leans in closer towards him. 

"But there's no one else."

 

 

 

Summer rolls around again and then it ends, again. 

They spend it shopping and eating and in the sun. 

Serena decides she likes summer best, always has, always will. 

 

 

"I don't want to be around for winter," Serena comments, sighing as she watches the rain start to fall outside of her window. Carter rolls around on the bed to face her, head in his hand. 

"So we go somewhere where it's summer," He offers, like it's just that simple. Serena bites her lip, she can't imagine leaving the life she's created in Rome behind, just to jet off to a sunnier destination. 

Carter books the flight for tomorrow. 

 

 

Sydney is nice, it's warm, and while Serena and Carter don't see much of it they love it, anyway. 

Carter presses a kiss to her forehead one morning, thumb running over where his lips were previously pressed. 

"Wanna go somewhere, beautiful?" Serena grins, although she thinks she might of tired from that nickname. Rolling out of bed, she pulls on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt; Carter grins, murmuring something about how she looks that she doesn't quite catch. The clothes don't cost hundreds of dollars, she brought them at some store where teenagers were frequenting in the shopping centre. She's just trying to blend in, to appear normal. 

Grabbing a water bottle from out of the fridge, she laces her fingers with Carter's and is ready to embark on the adventure the day brings. Carter presses another kiss to her head, smiling against her skin. More than a year ago her life was so different, and now she's being all domestic with Carter Baizen, who could of guessed? 

He takes her to Luna Park, rolling her eyes, she stands underneath the mouth and pulls a stupid pose. She feels like a tourist,  _you are a tourist,_ a voice in the back of her mind reminds her. But she always used to hate the tourists in New York, while she thought it was lovely others were experiencing the city she loved and loathed greatly, it made going places such a hassle sometimes. 

First, they go on the mouse trap. Waiting in line for what feels like forever for a chance to climb into tiny cars and zoom down a roller coaster that looks like it may just fall apart at any minute. Carter grins, and Serena may of screamed but they're both laughing by the time they exit. Serena wants to go on  _all_ the rides, she's never been to an amusement park before. Her mind wanders to Blair as they line up for the next ride, one where you're stuck to the sides of the wall and the ground lifts down and you spin around and around and around, (Serena's honestly a bit nervous for it, there wait was extended after some child vomited), but her mind wanders to Blair. She would of hated this, and somehow she thinks she might of been the only one to ever get to drag her to a place like this. 

Serena's been on all the rides, some she's been on multiple times, and hours have passed. Queues are long for the rides, and she's tired and kind of hungry. So they ditch Luna Park in search for food. Before they go Serena grabs fairy floss and a bag of popcorn, grinning smugly at Carter as she refuses to share. 

It's late when they return home, their apartment looking empty. It's still light outside, cars zooming past and noise enclosing them. It's a nice apartment they're renting, but it doesn't feel like home the way Rome did. But once summer ends, they'll be jetting off to somewhere else. 

"I love you," Serena sighs as she rolls over onto her side. Carter freezes up next to her,  _he doesn't say the words back._

 

 

_sorry, business calls. i'll be back in a few weeks - carter x_

Serena grips the note before angrily scrunching it up and throwing it in the bin. Was it work or her confession of love last night? 

 

 

A few weeks turns into a month. 

Serena spends it shopping and enjoying the warmth, she goes to the beach and tans, makes friends with whoever she happens to stumble across that day. Once, she goes back to Luna Park but it feels empty without Carter there even though it's populated with families. 

Drunkenly, she calls his number. (But he doesn't answer). 

Beep. 

"Carter, I. Carter, come back. It's been so long. Is it because I said I love you? Why, why aren't you here?" 

Beep. 

Serena slumps against the cupboard, phone falling out of her hand as angry tears roll down her face. Fuck him,  _fuck him_ — he just left her here with nothing but a note, not a single phone call and now she's left some sad drunk rambling on his voicemail. 

 

 

After sleeping out her killer hangover, Serena packs up her things. 

Carter returns later that night but Serena's already on her way back to Rome. 

 

 

**we always seem to miss each other and i was once told if it was too much trouble to make it work then it isn't meant to be, i'll always love you, serena. -- carter x**

 

 

They don't see each other again, not for years — not until both of them are nice and old, both married, with children and grand children. He still smells the same, and she still smiles the same. 

"Hi, beautiful," is all it takes before the two of them are tumbling into bed together. Grey hair and brittle bones, but  _a love like that doesn't die._


End file.
